THE Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday released a draft policy that will enhance the development of waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities in the country.
WTE converts non-recyclable waste materials into heat, electricity or fuel. The DOE wants WTE included in the qualified RE generating units considered as “must dispatch.”
“Must dispatch preference is given to power generation from eligible WTE facility in hierarchy of dispatch schedule,” it said, adding that the agency deems it necessary to issue a policy to “further support as well as address issues and concerns in the development of WTE in the Philippines.”
Moreover, DOE said it recognizes that WTE facility projects simultaneously achieve the twin socioeconomic benefits of local government units’ (LGUs) solid waste management and provision of additional source of power supply.
The draft circular states that incentives will be given to distribution utilities procuring energy from eligible WTE facilities. “For every 1 megawatt sourced from duly registered eligible WTE facility shall be given two renewable energy certificates [REC] under the renewable energy market.”
For WTE facilities with embedded system to Distribution Utilities (DU), a competitive selection process (CSP) must be conducted. The power supply contract between the DU and the WTE facility will be valid for 10 years.
However, WTE projects initiated and completed by LGUs shall be exempted from the CSP.
The DOE said it would accept until September 8 comments from industry stakeholders on the draft circular.
There is a proposed measure at the Senate allowing the use of WTE facilities in waste treatment and disposal and to generate sustainable energy.
Under Senate Bill 363 or the Waste-to-Energy Act (WTE Act), only waste treatment technologies that do not emit toxic and poisonous fumes into the environment will be allowed to operate. If the WTE facility is found non-compliant, it will be penalized and can be shut down by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The project proponent will be the one to shoulder the expense in the construction and operation of the facility.
1 comment
Proper garbage collection system following RA 9003 is needed for Waste-to-Energy (WTE) to succeed.
The country faces major environmental challenges associated with waste generation and inadequate waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal. Current failure of implementing RA9003 Ecological Solid Waste Management System by the various cities and municipalities in the country cannot cope with the volumes of waste generated by an increasing urban population, and these impacts on the environment and public health. The challenges and barriers are significant, but so are the opportunities.
A priority is to move from reliance on waste dumps that offer no environmental protection, to waste management systems that retain useful resources within the economy. Waste segregation at source and use of specialized waste processing facilities to separate recyclable materials has a key role. Disposal of residual waste after extraction of material resources needs engineered investment in WTE facilities. The potential for energy generation from landfill via methane extraction or thermal treatment is a major opportunity, but a key barrier is the proper waste collection system. LGUs must follow RA 9009 and integration of common WTE has to be implemented to obtain economy of scale. The DOE WTE policy should emphasize the LGUs shall implement RA9003 in the collection and segregation of waste for this WTE project to succeed.